All Vulcan 750s and a few other Kawasakis have bad cam chain tensioners. Both mine had partly failed at around 15,000 miles. A company called TOC makes manual tensioners for it, and they totally solve the problem. They are better made than stock, and cost about the same.

The Shadow Spirit 1100 is a great bike. I have no idea why Honda quit making it. A nice used one may wind up being a replacement for the Vulcan, IF it ever wears out. 81,000 miles and counting.

here is a pic of my soon to be purchased harley street bob with mid controls and a sundowner seat . i am waiting until september so i can buy a 2014 model which probably will not be at all different from the 2013 except for the bragging rights . i will put a touring screen on it because i do not enjoy insects and wind blast . i will be touring the entire world and staying at five star hotels -- or sleeping on the side of the road .

doggrell3000
new york ny

Harley sure knows how to make a nice looking bike, just like the British did back in the old days. It needs a tall sissy bar and luggage rack, so you can install a T-Bag. It's amazing how much you can get into one of those.

thanks for your positive feedback . i understand your great idea about using a tall sissy bar and luggage rack and t-bag . but i prefer the low profile look of the short and small passenger's back rest . i will be riding alone so my large waterproof bag will be strapped to the passenger's seat and also serve as the rider's back rest . if i run into a gorgeous twenty four year old blonde hitch hiker i will just toss the bag in a ditch and pick it up on the way back home the following year . the street bob is definitely a fine looking bike .

I don't know if my 82 Honda GL 500 qualifies as a "cruiser" but it works for me. 50 mpg, Pro-Link air adjustable suspension, direct shaft drive and liquid cooled. These tranverse twin 500cc engines are known for solid reliability. I added the trunk with the backrest, which came off a 83 GL650. Hard bags were from ebay. If I need to hit the dirt I turn to my 75 XL 250.

The CX/GL 500/650 are great bikes, and have my favorite Honda engine. The CX500 Custom and the CX650 Custom were the cruisers, but all of them have a sane non sport bike riding position, and for me that is what counts.

The CX/GL 500/650 are great bikes, and have my favorite Honda engine. The CX500 Custom and the CX650 Custom were the cruisers, but all of them have a sane non sport bike riding position, and for me that is what counts.

First street bike was a CX500. Great bike in a lot of contexts - except that low top gear. And with the shaft no option for changing gearing.

Sold it for a KZ1000

Got back to riding 5 years ago. First three with a vulcan 1600. Great bike for a cruiser. Did everything well and many miles on that bike. Only got out of it to go sport touring. Otherwise, a great bike that has a great buy in price in the used market.

Cruisers actually do great off road as long as you don't need ground clearance. Their low center of gravity, low seat, and easy to reach bars make them easy to handle. They obviously don't have the suspension or ground clearance, but they are a lot better off road than a more sport oriented bike.

I agree with off road ability. I recently went to a county fair and the parking lot (field) was a mess. There was a guy on a tractor pulling cars out, I made it through the whole lot on my road king. Couldn't back up so I had to go the long way. Spun the whole way and couldn't really steer, but made it ok. Lots of duck walking and helping the bike with my feet though. People were laughing.

Cruisers actually do great off road as long as you don't need ground clearance. Their low center of gravity, low seat, and easy to reach bars make them easy to handle. They obviously don't have the suspension or ground clearance, but they are a lot better off road than a more sport oriented bike.

I've had this bike on dry, well maintained dirt roads and apart from the washboard and deep, loose sand, it was a walk in the park

Quote:

Originally Posted by jules083

I agree with off road ability. I recently went to a county fair and the parking lot (field) was a mess. There was a guy on a tractor pulling cars out, I made it through the whole lot on my road king. Couldn't back up so I had to go the long way. Spun the whole way and couldn't really steer, but made it ok. Lots of duck walking and helping the bike with my feet though. People were laughing.

Cruisers actually do great off road as long as you don't need ground clearance. Their low center of gravity, low seat, and easy to reach bars make them easy to handle. They obviously don't have the suspension or ground clearance, but they are a lot better off road than a more sport oriented bike.

I took this just outside of Castle Dale, UT this past Thursday during my lunch break. We were doing some training down in Orangeville, so I figured I'd try to get a decent pic of my bike with this corral after wanting to do that for about a year or so I don't think it turned out too bad, especially for a stitched panorama using iPhone pics and a little bit of tweaking with FastStone Image Viewer
BTW - Click for full size